F25-2002 The Importance of Countertransference: Exploring Supervision’s Most Powerful Tool
Total Credits: 3 Supervision CEs
- Categories:
- 2000 Supervision | 600 Leadership and Management | New
- Instructor:
- Emma Kupferman, LICSW, LCSW-C, CPT, CST
- Course Levels:
- Intermediate
- Duration:
- 3 Hours 15 Minutes
- Target Audience:
- Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
Description
The experience of countertransference is ever present in clinical care, influencing everything from how a therapist establishes rapport with a client to how they manage the termination process. Clinical supervisors equipped with a strong working knowledge of countertransference can offer supervisees a powerful tool for self-examination, insight into the skill and ethics of a supervisee’s practice and a process to examine how the supervisee’s unconscious bias, responses, reactions and feelings about clients can be useful in clinical insight and treatment.
This workshop is in accordance with and compliance with the NASW Standards with a focus on service, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence, and social workers’ ethical responsibilities to clients, to colleagues, in practice settings, as professionals, to the social work profession, to the broader society.
This workshop is in compliance with the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ COMAR 10.42.03.06.A(5) and with the District of Columbia Board of Social Work 17-70-7008.4.
Maryland: This workshop meets the Supervision CE license renewal requirement for the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’.
Instructor
Emma Kupferman, LICSW, LCSW-C, CPT, CST Related Seminars and Products
Emma Kupferman, LICSW, LCSW-C, CPT, CST (she/her), earned her MSW from Howard University in 2004. Her early career focused on trauma recovery for survivors of domestic violence and sexual trauma, including serving as the clinical supervisor for Rape Abuse Incest National Network’s (RAINN) hotline for military survivors and as the clinical director of District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH), the largest provider of housing for survivors in the District of Columbia. She has presented and trained locally, nationally, and internationally, including at the 3rd World Conference of Women’s Shelters at The Hauge; the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists 49th Annual Conference; and the 5th International Conference on Sexuality and Social Work. She teaches as an adjunct faculty at University of Maryland School of Social Work.
As an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, she specializes in trauma-informed care with survivors; sexual trauma; somatic experiencing; harm reduction; treatment for sexual dysfunction; ethical non-monogamy; body image; and providing care for LGBTQIA2S, kink, and BDSM communities; as well as in cultural humility, anti-oppressive, and anti-white supremacy practices. She also provides ketamine-assisted therapy and is passionate about creating psychedelic-assisted sex therapy modalities. She values supporting all clients in creating the intimate lives they most want. Her work and personal values are grounded in the beliefs that healing our sexual selves is liberation work and that, in order to get free, we must acknowledge and address the lived experiences of existing under structural oppression, white supremacy, heteronormativity, and patriarchy.
Emma loves dark Norwegian murder mysteries, puzzles, baking focaccia, napping, her stupendous friends and family, and Spa World. She thrives personally and professionally when operating in accordance with her core values of liberation, community, and compassion.
Agenda & Learning Objectives
AGENDA:
8:50 – 9:00 Log on
9:00-9:30 Introduction to the topic, definitions, the essential role of countertransference in clinical supervision
9:30-10:30 Models for managing countertransference, learning from countertransference to enhance our work, potential Impact of unprocessed countertransference on clients
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:15 Role plays, small group discussions, reflection activity, Q & A
12:15 Adjournment
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
-
Identify and differentiate 3 different types of countertransference
-
Develop 3 strategies to address supervisees countertransference in their clinical work.
-
Assess potential uses of countertransference to enhance clinical care of clients.
Bibliography & References
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
Prasko, J., Ociskova, M., Vanek, J., Burkauskas, J., Slepecky, M., Bite, I., Krone, I., Sollar, T., & Juskiene, A. (2022). Managing Transference and Countertransference in Cognitive Behavioral Supervision: Theoretical Framework and Clinical Application. Psychology research and behavior management, 15, 2129–2155. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S369294
Goodyear, R. K., & Sera, H. (2024). Supervisees’ perspectives on countertransference-focused practices and processes in clinical supervision: an exploratory study. The Clinical Supervisor, 43(2), 269–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/07325223.2024.2362127
Ladislav Otava, Countertransference Narratives of a Social Worker in Supervision, The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 52, Issue 2, March 2022, Pages 890–908, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab086
Alger, B., & Gushwa, M. (2021). Managing Countertransference in Therapeutic Interactions with Traumatized Youth: Creating a Pathway to Making Discomfort Comfortable. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 91(3), 234–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2021.1928585
Malki-Schubert, Lian, "Immigrant Therapists’ Perceptions Of Transference, Countertransference, And Racial Experiences In The United States" (2023). CUNY Academic Works. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1104
Maharaj AS, Bhatt NV, Gentile JP. Bringing It in the Room: Addressing the Impact of Racism on the Therapeutic Alliance. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2021 Jul-Sep;18(7-9):39-43. PMID: 34980992; PMCID: PMC8667703.
MD. Code Regs.tit.10, subtit. 42, ch.08 (2007)
Course Completion & CE Information
Category I Maryland BSWE Requirement
The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education programs. This workshop qualifies for 3 Category I Continuing Education Units for supervision. The Office of Continuing Professional Education is also authorized by the Maryland Board of Psychologists and the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors to sponsor Category A continuing professional education.
ASWB Information
University of Maryland School of Social Work Office of Continuing Professional Education, #1611, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 2/11/2024-2/11/2027.
To receive ACE credit, full attendance is required; no partial credits will be given for partial attendance.
Certificate Access
To access the evaluation and certificate, click on the orange certificate button in your CPE account. Once you complete the evaluation, access to the certificate will be available.
Live Interactive Webinars (Cat I) and Live Webinars (Cat II) - Allow up to 30 minutes post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate.
In Person Trainings - Please allow five (5) business days post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate.
Please refer to the tab "Live Interactive Webinar Policies & FAQs" for UMSSW Office of CPE policies regarding all live interactive webinar related matters. Contact our office at cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu for more information.
Evaluation
Participants will have access to the evaluation after attendance has been verified. Evaluations will be available for one (1) week after the workshop has ended.
After one (1) week, participants will no longer have access to the evaluation and will have to contact CPE about reactivation.
Target Audience
Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
We welcome anyone interested in the topic!
Live Interactive Webinar Platforms
LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBINAR PLATFORMS
The Office of Continuing Professional Education hosts Live Interactive Webinars through Zoom. This platform offers a high quality and user-friendly webinar platform for our registrants.
System Requirements:
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- Internet Browser: Google Chrome; Firefox 10.0 or higher.
Our system is not compatible with the Safari web browser.
- Broadband Internet Connection: Cable, High-speed DSL and any other medium that is internet accessible.
**Please have your device charging at all times to ensure that your device does not lose power during the webinar.
Course Interaction Requirements:
To participate in Live Interactive Webinars, you MUST have a device that allows you to view the presentation on screen and hear the instructor at all times. We do not allow participants to call-in from their phones or mobile devices and solely listen to the presentation. Participation in Live Interactive Webinars is mandatory.
Our webinar policies can be found on our website by clicking here.
Webinar Policies & FAQs
Click The Link to View The Webinar Policies & FAQs
https://umbsswcpe.ce21.com/Page/live-interactive-webinar-procedures-policies-4129
Code of Conduct
The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work adheres to the NASW Code of Ethics. This policy is to ensure that the training environment for social work professionals remains respectful, productive, and conducive to learning. Disruptive behavior that interferes with the learning process, disrupts the training experience for others, or undermines the integrity of the program will not be tolerated.
Expectations for Participant Engagement:
In alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics and the University of Maryland Baltimore Code of Conduct, participants are expected to demonstrate professionalism, which includes respecting confidentiality, maintaining a collaborative and respectful tone, and contributing positively to the group dynamic. Disclosures made during the training (e.g., case studies or personal reflections) must be handled with care and in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines.
All participants in the training program are expected to:
- Engage actively in the learning process and show respect for the opinions and contributions of others.
- Demonstrate professionalism in both attitude and behavior, maintaining respect for instructors, peers, and the training environment.
- Maintain open communication by expressing concerns or disagreements constructively and respectfully.
- Follow the guidelines and expectations provided by instructors and facilitators.
- Support a collaborative learning environment where all participants feel valued and safe to contribute.
Instructors and CPE staff reserve the right to dismiss participants who do not adhere to ethical/professional principles and standards. If removed, CEs will be adjusted to reflect the time attended, unless otherwise specified.
ADA Accommodations
If you are requesting ADA accommodations, please contact our office via email at least two weeks prior to the workshop date. Requests after that date may not be fulfilled.
Our email address is cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu.
Late Fees and Refunds
The base price is $70, which includes CE credit.
Late Fee: On 09/26/25, a non-refundable late fee of $20 is added to the base price. Late fees cannot be refunded or applied to account credit.
Cancellations: **ALL cancellations will be subjected to a $35.00 administration fee.** To be eligible for a refund or CPE account credit, cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the workshop.
For more information, please read the general policies on our website.